For years I've used a wooden staff with a metal hook at the top (very useful for catching branches/roots/stuff that fell into the creek, etc).

I use an 1 1/4 inch rod for mine with finger grooves filed into it at top/middle/and bottom. (I think it was an old closet rod).

The wooden staff has some structural advantages that the telescoping ones don't. On our last trip I was able to wedge one end of my staff into a root bundle and the other end wedged onto my thigh to give my daughter a stable foothold scaling up a steep incline. The metal staff probably would've bent under that use.

I've even given my old one to my daughter and she uses it just like a hand reaching up without thinking to hook onto my staff so that I can pull her up an embankment, etc. She also hooks onto my daypack so that I can tow her up hills (A daddy's job is never done).

Recently I've found out how much easier it is to use two staffs while hiking so I bought a telescoping staff to use in my left hand.

It made a big difference having the two of them taking a lot of strain off my knees and I can collapse it when I only need the one .

I've thought of just going ahead and carrying two telescoping hiking staffs but I've gotten so used to having the hook and having the stouter wooden one that I've compromised and plan to carry both.